How to conduct a Mock Interview

Mock interviews are very useful, especially if you know you have an interview coming up. The more comfortable you are in practice interviews, the more comfortable you will be in the actual interview. Before beginning my journey towards PA school, I was a recruiter for 5 years. In that time, I interviewed multiple people every week, coached them for interviews, and even ran a mock interview from time to time. Here are some suggestions on how to run a proper and helpful Mock Interview:

Setup
- Treat the Mock Interview as if it were real. Dress the part if you are not accustomed to wearing interview clothes. Be early. Have your questions ready. Be ready to take notes. Use a laptop only if you will use one in the interview. Recording the interview is a great way to learn, even if you won't record the real one.

- Have one person interview the other with 5-6 questions. Again, act as if you are in a real interview. Address one another professionally. Sit up tall. Make eye contact. Speak clearly. The questions should include "Tell me about yourself." "Why do you want to be a PA?"

- At the end, go over it with each other. Share notes. What did you like about their response? What did their body language tell you? Any difficult questions that should be practiced? Go over each response and note what you liked and didn't like. Don't neglect the positive aspects.

- Trade seats and trade roles. If you have several people, you can set up a rotation. I would suggest getting faculty involved, or at least someone who regularly conducts interviews. They will have valuable feedback.

Neurosurgery PA-C Interview

Here's an interview with a Neurosurgery PA-C

1) Why did you choose PA as your career?

Initially, I was considering becoming a physician, and the more I looked into it, the PA field is much more portable.  I would not be tied down to a practice location, or specialty.  I also like the idea of having an attending physician available to me at all times to provide ongoing consultation, and education which continues to mold my clinical judgment.  


2) Where did you go to PA school? How did you choose?

I applied to probably 7 different schools in TX, NY, IL and FL.  The TX schools I chose because they were for the most part, "local".   The others, I chose because they offered entry within a few weeks of my completing my pre requisites.  So, I could start pretty much immediately.   The other thing I took into consideration was, was whether the program went year round with few breaks, versus on a traditional semester system.  For me it was important to start and finish and begin working as a PA in the shortest time possible.  And, for all those reasons, I chose Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale FL.  


3) What do you do as a neuro PA? What does a normal day/week look like for you?

Typically, I have 1/2 day clinic on Mondays, full day on Wednesdays.  OR cases are scheduled for Monday afternoon and Tues, Thurs and Friday.  We do 7-15 brain and spine cases per week, and I see 25-30 pt in clinic, then do rounds and consults at 5 different hospitals.  There is another PA who shares the patient burden with me, and he is a great asset.   I am "on call" every other weekend, which means all hospital rounds and cases, and I help 3 surgeons during those times.  Not all of them require assistance every weekend, though.  I always make myself available to the other physicians, nurses, and hospital staff at any time, and they all have my cell number.  In this specialty, it is critical that the communication be uninterrupted so problems can be taken care of quickly. There are no "normal" days in Neurosurgery!  Each one is full of new challenges, and I relish that.   The environment is fast paced and can be stressful, but I am part of a team and we trust and support each other tremendously and that makes all the difference in the world.


4) How did you get connected to your current practice? Have you worked in other areas of practice?

A "headhunter" contacted me about my current position.  In the past, I have used the healthEcareers webiste on the AAPA site.  I have worked in Neurology, Neuro Interventional Radiology and Physical Medicine and Rehab, as well as Neurosurgery. 


5) I've read some people in specialty practice would prefer a more specialty focused PANRE. Do you like reviewing the generalist helps you as a PA or would you prefer to focus further into your specialty?

My field is so specialized, that I like having to refresh myself with the generalist PANRE.  I refamiliarize myself with skills and treatments I do not get to use on a daily basis.  It makes me a more well rounded PA with skills and knowledge that cross over into to other areas.  If I can recognize a patient's acute cholecystitis, or UTI, it keeps me from ordering what may be an unnecessary MRI of the spine when I can treat and manage these other issues and get them the care they need. 


6) The PA profession is continuing to grow, with new legislation, more PAs in medical leadership, and practicing in new areas. What would you like to see happen next professionally?

I am pleased that the PA profession is growing and more recognized in communities, & branching into other practice areas in order to serve patients.  Going forward, I would like to see PAs more recognized as legitimate providers of high quality care by more of the medical community and lay people.  The more active we are with supervising physicians in promoting the field, the more receptive patients will be to our involvement.  Professionally, I would like to see more partnering and discussion with, and among mid-levels,  Independent practitioners NPs and PAs, regarding best practices and how to better serve patients and our supervising physicians to expedite the best and most cost effective care for patients.


7) In addition to shadowing and getting good grades, any advice for future applicants?

Remember PA school is a great experience but is just the beginning.  Being a PA is a commitment, and very fulfilling.  Getting good grades is important, but once out of school, thinking quickly about how to solve problems is extremely important, and the ability to do so under stress. 

PA Week!

It's PA week so be sure to check out all the things that are happening to raise awareness of the profession and increase preventative care in our communities! Check out TAPA, AAPA, and other PA organizations to find out what's happening in your area!

PA-C running a business

Here's a unique interview: a PA who, after praticing clinically, started a health care related business: Medelita.

1) What made you interested in health care? Why did you become a PA? 

I was actually pre-nursing at Emory University (undergrad) and after volunteering extensively at Grady Hospital (the big, inner-city hospital in Atlanta) I realized that I wanted to be more a part of the clinical decision making process and that my personality was best suited for a clinical role.  I knew that I also wanted to someday be a mother, and I needed flexibility in my profession to allow me to do that.  And I was dead set on working in Emergency Medicine, and PA s have always had a strong, respected presence in ER.  I thought it was a great fit. 
 I wrote a recent blog post here that describes my first day of ER rotation with Larry Herman, president elect AAPA.


2) Tell me about your time in clinical practice. What did you like? 

My first job was at Mary Immaculate Hospital working in the Pediatric ER and Fast Track.  It was an inner-city hospital in Jamaica Queens (NY) and has since been shut down.  It was one of the best places in the country (perhaps I'm biased) to learn clinically at lightning speed with zero competition for good cases.  It was my number one goal to work in that ER under the direction of Larry Herman, RPA-C.  Only the brightest, most reputable and capable PA s worked in this ER.  The ultimate honor.  And it was the most difficult job I've ever had in my entire life.  There was very little (if any, honestly) physician support.  I would sometimes go to the main ER to ask for help and the response would be something along the lines of "look at me.  How could I leave this area now?"  It's not how the PA profession was designed to work, but I'm telling you – it is absolutely a great way to learn, for someone with the right clinical sense and drive.  The mentality of not being dependent on others in a very risky environment makes you learn super quickly, to say the least. 

It was wildly clinically challenging, in the oddest ways.  We were the receiving hospital for JFK airport, so we would regularly get people sent from other countries who were told "We cannot help you here.  Get on a plane to the US and they can help you with this medical problem."  So in the middle of the night I would see severe gigantism, uncontrolled seizures from head trauma (months prior) from a mounted water dispenser falling 2 stories onto my patient's head, etc.  Hmm . . .  It was always very interesting.  My very first patient as an employee/non-student was a seizing 2 year old coming in by ambulance as a "scoop and run", and while I was calculating the valium dose, I asked my nurse to put in a line.  She said "I don't put IV's in kids under 5."  So I said "well who does?"  And she said you do.  Ok . . . Well then I better get it on my first try.  Lots of miracles happened while I was working in that ER.  Getting lines in an actively seizing 2 year old just being one of them. 

I worked happily in that ER for 4 years, and then decided to move closer to family/re-prioritize my life after 9/11.  So I moved to Southern CA, without a job, in the summer of 2002.  My parents drove me to an interview a couple of days later in Mission Viejo, CA, and after 3 months of convincing them that I was the right hire – I got the job.  I worked at Mission Hospital/CHOC at Mission for 3 years, until I decided to get serious about Medelita.  My strengths clinically were anything related to Peds ER (most ER docs prefer not to deal with the parents, so I got really good at it), any ER procedure, especially complex suturing, and perhaps my biggest strength was my patience and skill at listening in combination with good clinical judgment.  Larry always said that the patient gives you the diagnosis 90% of the time, and I never forgot that.  It's so true, especially with children and parents.  A patient never complained about me, that I know of, in my entire clinical practice, and I feel really good about that.  My personality is such that I really do care, and I think people can feel/sense that.  It's common to lose that trait working in Emergency Medicine for a long time, but I was lucky not to.  It didn't mean I was especially popular amongst colleagues, or that I was the fastest at seeing patients.  I was just thorough and I listened, and could go home at the end of each day feeling good about my contributions.


3) What led you to transition to your new role founding Medelita? 

I'm not a fashionista or anything.  I just felt like I couldn't be the only female clinician that hated wearing boxy, frumpy, shapeless lab coats and scrubs that were absolutely not made for the female figure.  I simply bothered to brush my teeth, fix my hair, put on a tad of makeup before my shift, and why in the world would I want to put on something of lesser quality than cheap pajamas?  It just didn't make sense and seemed to be an issue, completely overlooked.  All other professionals of similar education and/or stature wore in upwards of $1000 business suits and carried expensive bags. But medical professionals should be stuck in horrendous quality ill-fitting garments, and expect to gain respect and trust in a matter of seconds?  Still to this day it baffles me that people are willing to accept this traditional norm.  Medelita is definitely changing that.  The original idea was based on fit/styling only, but I decided to combine the trend of using applicable performance fabrics, in a similar way that companies like Patagonia, Lululemon, Athleta, etc. have been doing to appeal to the buyer and improve the buyer experience and functionality of the garments.


4) Medelita has been in business for 4 years now. How has your experience as a PA informed the direction your business has taken? 

I think it's a HUGE advantage.  It gives us credibility and a level of understanding of our customers/colleagues that is unmatched in the medical apparel industry.  Everything that is written on the web site and/or guided by our customer service team, is catered toward the needs and personal attention of our clinician based customer base.  Almost all the other similar companies out there have focused on nurses, and surprisingly forgot about the growing clinician force – including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors, podiatrists, etc.  This population has very different medical apparel needs v. nurses, and Medelita caters to their specific requirements for appearance, length of garments, quality of garments, and professional logos. 

Also, if you take a look at all of the professional organization logos that we offer, and the professional affiliations that we hold, it is testament to Medelita being a clinician owned and operated business.  It is a tremendous honor to have the trust from these extremely reputable, prestigious organizations, such as AAPA, ISAPS, and ASAPS, among others. 


5) Do you still work clinically?

Do you plan to re-certify when you license expires?
I'm not working clinically but I miss it terribly.  The combination of working (more than) full time and having a 2.5 year old daughter, as well as being almost 6 months pregnant with twins, would make it challenging for me to work right now.  I absolutely stay up to date by reading multiple journals and earning CME mainly at highly reputable conferences throughout the year.  Since we exhibit at the very best conferences in the country, it's been easier to travel with the conference team and attend CME lectures as well as help out in the booth when needed.  Main conferences we attend include AAPA, ACEP, AAD, ASRM, CAPA, etc.   My license is up to date and I have never lapsed in re-certification, after graduating in 1999.


6) What do you want to do next with Medelita? 

We are still very much in the beginning stages of the business.  So from that perspective, I simply want to do everything possible to help the business grow and to improve brand awareness to our target audience.  By hitting certain targets of growth, we will then be able to introduce new lab coat styles, new scrub colors, introduce additional sizing, and sponsor additional medically related events that show close unity to Medelita.  We also want to be at the forefront of fabric performance technology and being certain that we are testing and (in the future) utilizing the very best available technologies that are applicable to the wearer.  We do that now, but absolutely need to stay on top of developments and it is a very expensive, time consuming task.